Another 786 deaths have been reported over the past week, 60 higher than the previous seven days – a rise of 8.3 per cent…reports Asian Lite News
The UK reported a massive 226,524 more Covid cases on Monday as weekly infections jumped by 37 per cent.
The latest daily figure is the biggest ever recorded in the UK, but includes positive tests registered over the weekend.
The number is more than 50,000 higher than the 170,985 cases reported last Monday.
Some 607,737 cases have been reported over the past seven days, which is 36.8 per cent higher than the number of confirmed infections over the previous seven days.
Another 169 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were also reported on Monday, taking the UK’s official death toll to 163,679.
Another 786 deaths have been reported over the past week, 60 higher than the previous seven days – a rise of 8.3 per cent.
The number of hospital patients with Covid is also on the rise, with 12,507 admitted in the past seven days, 2,506 – or 25.1 per cent – more than the previous seven days.
However, the number of seriously ill patients on ventilators remains relatively flat. Some 287 were reported to be requiring mechanical ventilation on Monday, which is far below the Omicron wave peak in November, when on a number of days more than 1,000 were on ventilators.
It comes after it was revealed the number of patients in hospital in Scotland with Covid-19 has reached the highest it has ever been since the start of the pandemic.
About 300,000 people a day in the UK are describing symptoms of Covid and experts believe there could be three million active cases in the UK, due to the more infectious BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron and ending of restrictions.
More than 11,500 inpatients in hospital in England have tested positive for Covid, but Health Secretary Sajid Javid said “60 per cent are not there because of Covid” but just happen to be carrying the virus.
Speaking on Monday, Javid said that despite the increase in cases they were “still well below their peak”. He said: “There is no particular cause for concern at this point.”
A fourth vaccine dose was being rolled out on Monday for five million people – those aged over 75, living in an elderly people’s care home or who are immunosuppressed.
It is likely that a fourth dose will be offered to all people aged 50 and older in the Autumn but a final decision has not been made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
4th Covid booster for all elderly over 75
The government on Monday rolled out the fourth Covid dose, termed spring booster, for the elderly above 75 and those who are immunosuppressed aged 12 and over.
The vaccine programme is timely as official figures show Covid infection is rising in all age groups, including the over-70s.
According to a BBC report, an estimated one in every 20 people being affected with Covid, showing that previous vaccine dose effect is waning.
The Spring Covid booster programme is also in line with new advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which states that additional jabs will help boost protection for the most vulnerable.
“This spring booster is being offered as a precaution to those at extremely high risk, most of whom received their first booster around six months ago,” the UK Health Security agency said in a statement.
“If the number of infections increases over the summer, this booster should help to reduce your risk of being admitted to hospital with Covid-19,” it added.
So far, only people with severely poor immune systems had been eligible to have a fourth jab. But from Monday, the second booster will be administered to: adults aged 75 years and over, residents in a care home for older adults; and individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed, or have weakened immune systems.
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